~ So Many Interests, So Little Time

A Tofu is a Terrible Thing to Waste

My McDougall Challenge has resulted in an unfortunate acknowledgement: I must limit, or give up altogether, fried foods. This, sadly, includes one of my favorite foods on this earth; potato chips. I’m including corn chips as well: anything that was immersed in hot greased before being bagged and made available for purchase. Sigh…

Moving on. The Challenge has left me looking for snack foods to fill the void. Veggies and Dip are a healthy option, but what does one eat with one’s veggies if one doesn’t eat dairy-based dips? The answer? Bean or tofu dips. My McDougall cookbook has lots of both and, as I had a tofu I needed to use, I selected the Curry Tofu Dip. The recipe is basic: it calls for nothing more than tofu, curry powder, parsley flakes, and salt.

A tip: The recipe states “put all ingredients in a blender jar” but I wouldn’t recommend making this in a blender. There isn’t enough moisture once the tofu is pressed. The dip became a lump the blender blades attempted to move around without much success. I turned this into a tofu sour cream curry dip by adding lemon juice. No oil-I’m trying to honor the diet. The lemon juice helped and I ended up with a dip texture-perfect for filling celery. Unfortunately, I found the dip bland. No worries. I have a well-stocked spice cabinet. I added more curry powder, coriander, cumin, white pepper, and the ever-versatile turmeric and was pleased with the result. You may be able to tell from the photo that I heartily partook before refrigerating my concoction.

Curry Tofu Dip

I thought two hours in the refrigerator enough time to give the flavors time to meld and the result was not unpleasant. I spooned some onto a plate and sprinkled it with Paprika. The dip was not quite as thick as sour cream but it did work well to stuff celery. The spice left a nice tingle on the tongue and the dip made a filling snack. The verdict? Meh. I would try this again with a more flavorful base. Cannellini beans, perhaps, or Peruano beans. Both have a rich, buttery flavor and texture that I think would make a good substitution for the tofu. Still, a tofu didn’t go to waste and the veggies and dip will pack well when I head to work. Challenge met!